Freedom Phones the Future of Dissent on the 50Th Anniversary of the Free Speech Movement Dean’Sword

College of Engineering University of California, Berkeley Fall 2014 Body mechanics Into the light Launching ‘dev eng’ Volume 6 Hacking anatomy Xiang Zhang’s XLab A new field emerges Berkeleyengineer FREEDOM PHONES The future of dissent on the 50th anniversary of the Free Speech Movement Dean’sWord Engineering global solutions Extreme poverty is not a new problem. But given the widening of globalized markets and the confluence of leapfrog technologies—including access to mobile telecommu- nications and niche manufacturing operations—enormous opportunities now exist to eradicate the root causes of global poverty. It is clear that traditional top-down models of international development are limited: material aid leads to dependence; well-meaning policies become mired by Training the next political instability. In addition to market forces and access to technology, it will take human capital generation of engineers to build human capacity. That is why we take our responsibility to train the next generation of engineers very seriously. Recognizing trends in the global landscape, the U.S. Agency for International to tackle the root causes Development (USAID)—the country’s largest international aid agency—recently signaled a change in tactics. With a collaborative, fast-moving posture (more Silicon of global poverty Valley than Inside-the-Beltway), USAID administrators have made a commitment to ending extreme forms of poverty by 2030. With USAID’s support, we opened the Development Impact Lab (DIL) on campus in 2012 to design, execute and scale poverty-alleviating systems and technologies. The grant is managed by the Blum Center for Developing Economies and the Center for Effective Global Action in Economics, and includes many engineering faculty who have answered the call for socially responsible development engineering. As an outgrowth of the DIL mission, and in response to an outpouring of student and faculty demand, this semester we launched a development engineering designated emphasis (the graduate equivalent of a minor) for Ph.D. students. Many of the students in the program are engineers, but others come from economics, business and other quantitative disciplines. (Read more on page 2.) While much of DIL’s focus is on international solutions, in the words of advisory board member Arun Sarin, solutions often “boomerang” back to the developed world in the form of financial inclusion, arsenic-free drinking water for the Central Valley and so on. Beyond our ethical and societal obligations, aggressively pursuing solutions to alleviate global poverty through smart infrastructure, adaptable technologies and inclusive systems will create better global adaptability and resiliency in times when the world’s big problems show no signs of recognizing international borders. As always, I welcome your thoughts and ideas. — S. Shankar Sastry DEAN AND ROY W. CARLSON PROFESSOR OF ENGINEERING DIRECTOR, BLUM CENTER FOR DEVELOPING ECONOMIES Matt Beardsley UNDER CONSTRUCTION: Dean Sastry oversees construction of Jacobs Hall. Home to the Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation, the LEED-certified building—to open in fall 2015—will serve as a hub for hands-on learning for undergraduates. in this issue Berkeleyengineer FALL 2014 2 3 6 12 19 LAUNCHING ‘DEV ENG’ THE big picTURE GREAT OPTics bodY MECHANics AlUM TAMI boND A new field emerges Averaging Internet images Harnessing light for circuitry Hacking anatomy New MacArthur Fellow tauffer S aniel McGlynn . Brian D L MORE > 2-5 UPFRONT 6-7 BREAKTHROUGHS 14 WHERE VISION MEETS Comments Sight for sore eyes KNOW-HOW Smarter stethoscopes Rejuvenating old muscles Xiang Zhang’s XLab Q&A with Grace O’Connell Evolutionary algorithms 17 -20 ALUMNI NOTES Girls in Engineering Herding cells with electricity Spotlights Farewell 8 FREEDOM PHONES The future of dissent on the 50th anniversary of the Free Speech Movement > COVER Photo NOAH BERGER DEAN S. Shankar Sastry Berkeley Engineer is published twice yearly to showcase the excellence of Berkeley Engineering faculty, alumni and students. assistaNT DEAN, COLLEGE relatiONS Melissa Nidever Published by: UC Berkeley College of Engineering, Office of Marketing & Communications, 312 McLaughlin Hall #1704, Berkeley, CA 94720-1704, phone: 510-643-6898, website: engineering.berkeley.edu EXECUTIVE EDITOR Karen Rhodes Reach editors: [email protected] MANAGING EDITOR Kap Stann Change of address? Send to: [email protected] ASSOciate EDITOR Daniel McGlynn Donate online: engineering.berkeley.edu/give, or mail to: Berkeley Engineering Fund, 308 McLaughlin Hall #1722, CONTRIBUTORS Preston Davis Berkeley, CA 94720-1722, phone: 510-642-2487 Julianna Fleming Jennifer Huber © 2014 Regents of the University of California / Not printed at state expense. Miranda King Please recycle. This magazine was produced from eco-responsible material. Kirsten Mickelwait Thomas Walden Levy Sarah Yang DESIGNER Alissar Rayes Upfront NEW PROGRAMS Launching ‘dev eng’ A new Ph.D. specialty in development engineering teaches students how to build, scale and evaluate technologies designed to combat extreme poverty and other complex international development issues. “Development engineering is a new interdisciplinary field that integrates engineering with economics and business, energy and natural resource development and social sciences,” says Alice Agogino, Hughes Professor of mechanical engineering. To build an academic framework for “dev eng,” Berkeley faculty members with research expertise in related areas formed a development engineering graduate group last year. The group is establishing a research agenda that includes human-centered design and requires innovators to develop “multiple skills in ethnographic studies, qualitative research, hardware, analytical tools, hypothesis testing, prototyping, business model development and continuous impact analysis,” says Agogino, who chairs the group. With the support of Berkeley’s Blum Center for Developing Economies, the group launched a designated emphasis in development engineering for doctoral students this fall. The special- ization is open to Ph.D. candidates across campus, including students pursuing research in social sciences with quantitative components, such as public health or social welfare. Courtesy William Tarpeh In 2012, the U.S. Agency for International Development awarded Berkeley $20 million to start the Development Impact Lab (DIL). William Tarpeh, a Ph.D. student in environmental engineering, works on a sanitation project The lab supports academic research and a community of faculty in Nairobi, Kenya. His goal is to develop technologies to make marketable products out of and students interested in development engineering. nitrogen recovered from urine. “The designated emphasis is really meaningful,” Tarpeh says, “because it recognizes the interstitial space that otherwise just isn’t recognized.” “A number of faculty were engaged with the DIL lab and students doing these projects, but as one-offs in various groups without mentoring outside their discipline,” Agogino says. “The creation of this multidisciplinary program was a natural fusion coming from a compelling need.” “ ” COMMENTS ..! Friends, followers and readers: Thanks for your comments. Here is a recent sampling. Re: “Engineering social justice,” Berkeley Engineer, spring 2014 Re: “The last firewall,” Berkeley Engineer, spring 2014 I was extremely happy to learn that an “engineering in society” course In the last issue, the juxtaposition of an article on mind-reading technol- was still being taught at Cal. Looking back on my career and personal ogy and one on social justice was not likely lost on readers. While EECS evolution, it’s that course I took back in 1978 that I remember the most. professor Jan Rabaey pointed to the need to develop technical solu- It shaped my thinking about what it was to be an engineer, yes, but tions sooner than later, what’s missing is a broader conversation about more importantly, a just and positively contributing member of society. whether mind-reading technology is something we want to develop at At the time, this topic was rarely taught in harder STEM paths across all. We have a culture that promotes and rewards the heroic principal the country, and I was very proud that Cal had the foresight to offer it. investigator who pushes the limits of science like Prometheus bringing Engineers gravitate toward the profession because of their love of things, the gift of fire back to the clan. Only too late do we understand and react but an engineer’s true purpose is to translate scientific discoveries into to the unintended effects of these discoveries, such as greenhouse gases, societal benefits. For this, one must have not only a sharp intellect and nanoparticles, endocrine disruptors and GMOs. The university promotes a pragmatic outlook, but also open eyes, mind and especially heart. a myriad of micro changes to our complex system, and we as a society As pointed out in the piece, the “control volume” for any engineering are left reeling with the large systemic changes that emerge as a conse- problem must include its environment and its people. quence. Indeed, when have we, in 500 years of the Enlightenment, ever —Shaun Simpkins, B.S.’79 EE, via e-mail decided against technical advancement? —Tse-Sung Wu, B.S.’89 ME, via e-mail HOW DO I FIND OUT MORE? 2 engineering.berkeley.edu Find links to web extras through the college website at engineering.berkeley.edu/magazine. COMPUTER VISION The big picture Finding the Internet cat

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